A Lonely Sea
by apollogirl7
Summary: The waves rush in and out on the beach.  It is cold, but I don't care.  Tomorrow is the reaping, and I don't want to be a part of it.  Not ever.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody! So I've been lazy and haven't updated any of my stories or posted any new ones. Yay! That's why I have this nifty little first chapter. I'm starting a Finnick/Annie story and this is the first chapter. I'm not sure how long the whole thing will be, but whatever. It will continue until I stop writing or I actually finish it.**

** Characters belong to Suzanne Collins, as they will throughout the whole story.**

** Enjoy!**

The waves rush in and out on the beach. It is cold, but I don't care. Tomorrow is the reaping, and I don't want to be a part of it. Not ever.

I step into the calming sea, the water engulfing my ankles and feet. The power of it makes me sigh. I lean my head back to look at the stars. How could it be, I wonder, that I am already twelve, old enough to be a contender in those awful games? When did I become so old…and still remain so young?

I am deeper out than I probably should be, especially since I am here by myself. But it doesn't matter. It's not like I'm planning on ever stepping on land again. My mother always did say the ocean is the way to go. It's a peaceful death, if that's what you want. The waves rock your body, holding you, caressing your skin, just like if you were a baby being rocked to sleep. And I love the ocean, so I'm not afraid.

The water pushes against my stomach. It's still cool, but I feel my body adjusting. It's like my skin is going crazy, thinking it's comfortable; but it truly isn't. I let my dark hair down, covering my shoulders and neck with it. A fish brushes against me, I don't even flinch.

Still I walk, the water up to my chest now. I feel it pushing me from below. It makes me sway, and I sense the dance of the sea. I let my arms drift up to the surface. When the waves reach my chin, my heart begins to race. Is this really what I want, to die in the waves?

Yes. Better in the sea than alone in an arena.

I don't bother taking in a breath, but simply dive under. The water pulses, hitting me from all angles. My opened eyes stare straight ahead. I can see nothing.

Without thinking, I panic and scream. It is cut off by the water, and muted, heard only in my ears. I kick, trying to follow the bubbles up. It's odd, breaking the water's surface, and having no air to gasp.

I am drowning.

My limbs flail around me, splashing up water in my face and getting it into my mouth and lungs. I try to breath, but I can't.

_This is it_, I think, _this is how I will die. It was supposed to be peaceful._

My vision cuts off, and I let out any last bits of air in me. It's over.

** Review please…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! Yeah I know this is short but I am working on 3 right now and it will probably be up tonight. Enjoy! **

**Annie**

_Breathe. _

_ Breathe._

"Breathe! C'mon, wake up! Breathe!"

Someone pounds my chest, causing me to jerk and spit. Someone pinches my nose, and then warm, wet lips cover my gaping mouth. Air rushes into me, and my burning lungs fill with it. I try to push away, but can't.

My eyes flutter slightly. I see shapes, dark blobs in the darkness. One last gust of air, and my nose is released, my chest pounded on again.

"Stop," I try to say.

The blob leans back and stares at me. I take a shallow breathe.

"Can you breathe?" it asks.

I can't speak again, so I nod. My head throbs, my pulse behind the surface racing.

"You are really stupid, you know that?" The blob begins to move and then stands, towering over my body. From the moon's reflection, I see the outline of a boy, the broad shoulders giving it away. I can't see his face, and I don't recognize his voice. He's probably in a different class than me. Probably older.

A foot nudges me, kicks me. "Did you hear what I said?" his voice cracks.

"No," I murmur. My throat feels like it's been rubbed raw from swallowing sand.

"I said you shouldn't be out here, by yourself, in the water. You do realize you almost drown, right?" His condescending tone irritates me. No one said he had to rescue me.

I sit up slightly, finally waking up. "I was trying to."

He takes a step back, like I pushed him. "You were _trying_ to? How dumb are you, kid?"

"Clearly not as dumb as you," I say pushing the wet, sandy hair out of my eyes. "And I'm not a kid."

"Well aren't you a parrot," he says. The boy squats next to me, and I catch the shine of his smile. "I'm Finnick, Finnick Odair." He reaches underneath my arms and pulls me up. He's got a good six inches on me.

"Annie Cresta," I say. From my new angle, I can see his face, and I _do _recognize him. I've heard girls – _older_ girls – talk about this boy, giggle as they commented to their friends about how he smiled at them, or gave that lopsided smirk. The smirk he is now giving me. Finnick is probably the most attracted boy in District 4, no doubt about it. He has the reddish hair, still dripping with the ocean, and the same green eyes as me. My heart lurches in my chest.

He saved me. _I almost drowned myself on purpose and just embarrassed myself in front of this very cute boy. Stupid!_

But what would a 14 year old boy want with me, anyway? A 12 year old nobody… a girl who wants to commit suicide because she's afraid of dying in an arena.

"It's nice to meet you, Annie Cresta."

He smiles and I know it doesn't matter.

**Please Review…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Annie**

Finnick walks me back to my house. I'm already wiped out because of my stupid plan. Was I really going to drown myself just to avoid the possibility of being reaped? My name is only in there once after all.

We don't say much as we walk, but I catch myself sneaking glances at this pretty boy. He looks older than 14, but still a kid. His eyes have slight wrinkles, probably from laughing, but his jaw is set so tight that it makes you wonder what could be bothering him. He acts like a man, but while holding my arm, he's still gentle. My young hormones clearly can't comprehend.

"So, how old are you, Annie?" he asks. "I haven't seen you in any of my classes."

So he thinks I'm older? That's weird. I've barely hit puberty because I'm so small. My sister comments a lot about my lack of chest.

"Twelve," I say.

"Ah," he muses. "That explains the drowning, I guess. You're afraid of the reaping tomorrow. It's your first." His hand lets go of my arm and his arm slides around my waist. "Don't worry about it, Annie Cresta. You won't be picked."

_He's a flirt_, I remind myself, _don't let him get to you_. But the way he said it made me wonder if he was really saying _I'll keep you safe_.

I look up at him and asked, "What were you doing at the beach tonight?"

He stops walking and thinks for a moment. "I was," he stops, "well, I was, er – I was practicing. Fishing and netting and stuff. I needed practice, in case I get reaped. Didn't get to it, though," he winks, "I had to rescue some girl in the water. Thanks to you, we'll both be exhausted before the games even start."

"Sorry," I mumble.

"It's okay. And I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't have yelled at you on the beach. That was mean."

We walk again, silent. His arm is still around me, his hand on my hip. This is the first time I've ever been alone with a boy and it's a strange feeling. His hand is warm, I can feel it through my skirt and blouse, and he's strong. Mostly because he's old enough to begin a fisher apprenticeship. When boys turn 13 they begin to learn the art of catching fish. It's tedious work, I think, but it puts District 4 on the map for production. And the Capitol loves us for it.

Girls on the other hand rarely get to leave the house, other than for school, once they turn 14. And then when they get to be about 16, they don't even bother with the school thing. My sister dropped out last year. The reason behind this is the fact that we need to learn house work, and family raising. It's mandatory. District 4 needs to meet its population quota in order to keep up with fishing production. We are expected to be married by the age of 20.

And I don't mind that, as long as I'm married to someone I love.

The only people with the exception to this rule are victors. They don't have to marry anybody. Most of them stay in their homes, hidden from the rest of us. They were vicious in the games, but lost their edge – and sanity – with age. Probably realized that killing off other kids wasn't the best thing for them, as it did seem when they were young. If I were ever in the games, I'd probably lose it too.

"Are you scared of the reaping?" I ask him.

Finnick nods his head a bit but then stops. "Nah," he smiles, "it's not as bad as people think."

"So you're not afraid then?"

"Not anymore, I think it's just the first one that's scary. The rest are just…boring. I obviously don't want to be picked, I mean, who does? Who wants to die like that? But I haven't been picked yet, so what's there to worry about?"

"You could be picked," I counter.

"And I'll win if I do."

We reach the village part of town. All the houses are the same size and shape. Thatched rooftops and warm breezes; opened windows and dark rooms. We may be a rich district, but we are no District 1 or 2. They have it the best.

"Where's your house?" he asks.

"Over there." I point to a home that is in the covering of several trees. My house is quiet, and pitiful, and dark.

Finnick leads me to the door and lets go of my waist. "Good luck, Annie," he whispers.

"You too."

He turns and runs off into the road around the houses. I hope he knows that luck is never a part of the games.

**Review…**


	4. Chapter 4

_Finnick said he would win if he were picked. He said so._

**Earlier**

"Annie get up, it's almost time for the reaping." My sister, Adelina, pushes me off the bed. I hit the dirt floor hard, and I hear my head crack. "Oh, sorry." She helps me up. On the day of the reaping, my sister is always a thousand times nicer to me.

I rub the side of my head, and walk to the bathroom. Had I really slept till almost two in the afternoon? I guess it makes sense, considering the fact that I was out late last night.

With a boy.

A shiver runs up my spine. Had I really acted that dumb in front of – arguably – the hottest boy in District 4? What was I thinking?

After I brush through my hair a few times there's a knock at the door. "Hey," Adelina says as she steps in. "Do you want to wear one of my reaping outfits? I could do your hair and stuff too."

My sister is seventeen, she's tall, pretty, has the perfect body. Pretty much everything I'm not. That's why she's betrothed to Cameron Tellor, a very rich boy from the better part of our village. District 4 is not poor by any means, we have wealth, even though it may not show in our housing; but the Tellor family may be the wealthiest of us all. Mr. Tellor was a victor in the Hunger Games many years back. He became even richer by using is "talent" in the Capitol.

He is what my mother would call a "disgrace to society" and she says that he's "immoral". My sister says, "He just sleeps around, and gets paid for it." Cameron is no different.

I can't figure out why she'd want to marry into a family like that. I wouldn't.

"You look just like I did on my first reaping," she says as she pulls a sea green dress over me. I tug at the fabric. It's so soft.

"Really?" I ask.

"Yeah, but we have always looked alike. So that shouldn't be anything new to you."

Adelina is curling my hair when mother walks in. She holds out two Sand Cakes. Sand Cakes are a popular food in our district, and while they're not made with sand, they resemble it in color. The bread looks exactly like the shore, with green specks of sea grass floating throughout it. It's sweet to taste, but still salty, like the water. I love them.

"Thank you," we say in unison. Mother smiles and reaches for a hair clip sitting on our vanity. She pushes into my curly hair right above my bangs.

"You're both so beautiful," traces of tears begin to surface as her eyes glisten, "and growing so fast." She touches Adelina's face and then mine.

"Mom," Adelina says, standing to hug our mother.

"I'm fine, just continue getting ready, we have to be there soon."

I put finishing touches on my face, some lipstick and blush. Adelina smiles and straitens her sundress. We both grab our sandals and our mother, and walk out the door.

The main part of town is crowded. Our District is rather big in population, so there are many of us with good odds today. Especially if someone volunteers. And usually someone does.

We stand in roped-off areas based on gender (girls on the right, boys on the left) and then by age, youngest in the front. I am only a few feet from the stage.

Our escort, the Capitol citizen, Effie Trinket, is already on stage. She's babbling about something to our mayor, but I can't hear a word of it. Effie has only been here for a few years, she's a bit eccentric, like most Capitol people I've seen. But she's calmed down a bit. Adelina and I think she's done something that she's being watched for. We silently hope she gets demoted to another district. Preferably a poor one. District 11 or 12.

But she's still here so I guess we just have to deal with her strange behavior for one more year.

Our district mayor reads this whole speech about the dark days and the rebellion. I had been hearing this since I was little, and though I probably should be listening, considering this is my first year in the reaping, I just couldn't follow it.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It is time to pick this year's tributes for District 4. Now who will be going into the 65th Hunger Games?"

My palms begin to sweat. Effie glides over to the glass bowl that holds the names of all the girls. "Ladies first!" she sings.

I think I'm going to throw up.

"Sonja Journey."

I hear gasps go through the crowd. Sonja is my sister's best friend. She's well liked in our district.

"Any volunteers?" Effie asks. No one says anything.

"Very well, our female tribute from District 4, Ladies and Gentlemen!" She presents Sonja like a showman selling things between districts. Sonja looks close to tears.

"And now for our male tribute!" Effie reaches into the bowl that contains the boys' names.

"Finnick Odair."

_No._


End file.
